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Finally some diagnostic progress
Hi everybody
It's been some time since I posted here, primarily because I'd made no real progress in understanding the cause of the problems I have. A quick summary:
Primary Symptoms
Eye surface burning (esp left eye)
Light Sensitivity (variable, gets worse as day progresses)
Eye Ache (top corner of left eye next to nose)
Secondary Symptoms
Tension/ Frontal Headache/Strain above & between eyes
I've seen 2 optometrists, my GP about 4 times, and an ophthalmologist with no progress. I've been prescribed several pairs of glasses (I didn't wear any before my troubles), Viscotears Gel and anti allergy drops with no benefit. It's been suggested I have migraines, chronic daily headache etc which doesn't seem to fit to me.
After 7 months of having these significantly life affecting problems, someone (a different optometrist) finally looked at my lid margins and told me my Meibomian glands were blocked (esp my left eye). He even expressed a couple and took a picture of my eye which showed the gland debris in my tear film. Although MGD was not specifically mentioned, I guess this is what I have.
This was almost 2 weeks ago, and I've been doing hot compresses twice daily (and sometimes more) and a light lid scrub with a cotton bud every 1 or 2 days. I've also been using Clinitas Soothe drops (which are much better than the Allercan Refresh drops I'd bought when I first started having problems). I'd pretty much ignored the burning sensation in my eyes before, as the main problem for me is the light sensitivity and ache which makes working with a computer difficult, and also appears to be cumulative (i.e. if I do too much one day, the next day will be much more). Now I'm focusing more on the burning sensation to try to stay on top of it and see how that affects my other symptoms.
I'd like to ask anybody if they have an opinion on the following:
- Blocked Meibomian glands means MGD?
- Does it sound reasonable that MGD could potentially be the root cause of all my eye problems?
- Should I be trying to determine if MGD itself has a cause (belph, Ocular Rosacea etc)?
- I've order a 12X mirror to try to clearly see my glands in order to see if I'm keeping them unblocked. Is this the best way to do this?
To be honest, I'm pleased about being told I have meibomian gland problems if it enables me to understand some of the problems I have and do something about it. Quite why I have to see 5 medical professionals over a number of months telling me I have migraines etc (I don't) to get to this point is unclear. And I think I still have some way to go to significantly reduce the impact my eye problems have on my life, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction...
It's been some time since I posted here, primarily because I'd made no real progress in understanding the cause of the problems I have. A quick summary:
Primary Symptoms
Eye surface burning (esp left eye)
Light Sensitivity (variable, gets worse as day progresses)
Eye Ache (top corner of left eye next to nose)
Secondary Symptoms
Tension/ Frontal Headache/Strain above & between eyes
I've seen 2 optometrists, my GP about 4 times, and an ophthalmologist with no progress. I've been prescribed several pairs of glasses (I didn't wear any before my troubles), Viscotears Gel and anti allergy drops with no benefit. It's been suggested I have migraines, chronic daily headache etc which doesn't seem to fit to me.
After 7 months of having these significantly life affecting problems, someone (a different optometrist) finally looked at my lid margins and told me my Meibomian glands were blocked (esp my left eye). He even expressed a couple and took a picture of my eye which showed the gland debris in my tear film. Although MGD was not specifically mentioned, I guess this is what I have.
This was almost 2 weeks ago, and I've been doing hot compresses twice daily (and sometimes more) and a light lid scrub with a cotton bud every 1 or 2 days. I've also been using Clinitas Soothe drops (which are much better than the Allercan Refresh drops I'd bought when I first started having problems). I'd pretty much ignored the burning sensation in my eyes before, as the main problem for me is the light sensitivity and ache which makes working with a computer difficult, and also appears to be cumulative (i.e. if I do too much one day, the next day will be much more). Now I'm focusing more on the burning sensation to try to stay on top of it and see how that affects my other symptoms.
I'd like to ask anybody if they have an opinion on the following:
- Blocked Meibomian glands means MGD?
- Does it sound reasonable that MGD could potentially be the root cause of all my eye problems?
- Should I be trying to determine if MGD itself has a cause (belph, Ocular Rosacea etc)?
- I've order a 12X mirror to try to clearly see my glands in order to see if I'm keeping them unblocked. Is this the best way to do this?
To be honest, I'm pleased about being told I have meibomian gland problems if it enables me to understand some of the problems I have and do something about it. Quite why I have to see 5 medical professionals over a number of months telling me I have migraines etc (I don't) to get to this point is unclear. And I think I still have some way to go to significantly reduce the impact my eye problems have on my life, but hopefully this is a step in the right direction...
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